Railway-crossing gate



Nam 24 BAIER RAILWAY CROSS ING GATE Filed May 5. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l u lllllllll '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v v gw vuantoc L lRoberi CZBaier;

R. C. BAIER Filed May 5 1924 RAILWAY cnossme GATE Nov. 24

Patented Novn 24, 1925 9 UNITE;

ROBERT C, BAKER, UF NIdBIT, PENNSSYLVANIA.

Application filed May 5, 1924.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, ROBERT C. BAIER. a citizen of the United Statca residing at Nisbit, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Crossing Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway crossing gates, and more particularly to a device of that type which is automatically operated by the movement of the train to warn cross traffic of the approach of the train" A primary object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and reliable construction which automatically warns traffic in advance of the coming of the train and also automatically becomes reset when the train reaches the crossing. While devices of this general character have heretoforebeen proposed, nevertheless many of them utilize a positive barrier which is actuated by the train and is more or less cumbersome and dangerous in operation difiicult to maintain. According to the present invention it is proposed to mount a device above and clear of the crossing in such a way that a simple rocking movement thereof will automatically shift the warning or signal element into and out of relatively obstructing relation to crossing tratiic although no positive barrier near the ground is employed. Gates of the barrier type often prove dangerous because of the likelihood of collision with vehicles and also often result in injury to persons passing beneath the same. Therefore, in the present invention it is proposed to use flexible ropes, chains or their equivalent which will be suspended over and cross the right of way and thereby serve as a warning signal even at night and yet not cause any damage in event they are struck a by a passenger or vehicle, due to their flexibility.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel signal or gate together with practical and effective means for operating same. 7

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed;

Serial No. 711,274.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation illustrating the installation of the invention at the appro-ach side of the crossing.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Figure 1.

J Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-8 of Figure 1.

Figure l is an enlarged detail view of the abutment means carried by the train for actuating the track trip.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

As previously indicated, the present invention contemplates the use of a gate which is more in the nature of a warning signal rather than a positive barrier, and to that end it is proposed to mount at one edge of the approach side of the crossing C an upright post or pillar 1 having pivotally mounted thereon as at a rocking carrier frame designated generally as 3 and providcd at the ones thereof with the brackets 41; for supportin a track bar 5. This bar 5 supports the shiftable gate designated gen erally as G and comprising the frame member 6 having the hangers 7 at opposite ends thereof which are equipped with the grooved rollers or pulleys F: adapted to travel on the track bar 5. Suspended from the lower side of the frame member 6 are a plurality of ropes or equivalent flexible members 9. the carrier 3 is pivoted at its central portion, it will be apparentthat a tilting move ment thereof on the pivot 2 will cause the gate G to automatically slide from one end of the track bar 5 to the other according to the way in which the carrier 3 is tilted.

For the purpose of guarding the opposite side of the track a gate structure G which isa duplicate of the one above described is also arranged to operate in conjunction with the gate structure G. That is to say at the opposite side of the track it is proposed to mount another upright or post 10, the said post supporting the rocking frame 11 which is pivotally supported on the post coaxially with the pivot 2. And, for the purpose of operating the carrier frame 3 and the carrier frame 11 in unisom the same have connected therewith. as indicated at 12 and 13 respectively, the operating rods 14 and 15.

These rods are in turn pivotally connected at their lower ends with the arm 16 of the bell crank lever B or its equivalent and the lever arm 17 both of which are carried by the rock shaft 18. Said rock shaft 18 1S journaled as at 19 to one of the ties 20 of the road bed and serves as a connector for the bell crank B and lever 17 as well as an operator therefor when the train reaches the crossing, as will presently ap pear.

Referring to the bell crank B it will be observed that the arm 21 thereof has one end of a flexible cable 22, or its equivalent, connected therewith. This cable is preferably of considerable length, for example onethird or one-fourth mile long, preferably the former, and may be housed for the greater part of its length in a pipe or tube 23 which guides and protects the same. The end 2st of the cable which is remote from the bell crank B is connected as at 25 to one arm 26 of an angular trip lever L which is journaled as at 27 to one of the ties and has integral therewith a trip arm 28 which projects upwardly in the track-way a sufficient distance to be engaged by a yielding abutment 29 mounted on the tender or other part of the train designated generally as 30.

In the example shown the said abutment 29 preferably consists of a plate slidably mounted in the hanger brackets 31 and tensioned by spring 32, and if desired the front end of the abutment may be equipped with the roller r and the abutment engaging end f the arm 28 may also be provided with a roller as will be seen from Figure 1. Also by reference to that figure it will be seen that the shaft 18 carries a radially disposed upstanding trip arm 28 which is set on the shaft 18 to be disposed in a direction always to be opposite to the inclined position of the trip arm 28.

In installing the present; device it will of course be understood that a gate may be placed at each side of the crossing if the track is the single track-way or if it is a double trackway gates may be installed at opposite ends of the crossing. These features however, are well within the scope of the selection of the designer or the party making the installation, as will be readily understood by those familiar with the requirements of devices of the present type.

The operation of the device is as follows: Normally, the gate G assumes the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, that is, in retreating relation to the crossing C. The bell crank B and the trip lever L will also be in the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. As the train approaches the Zone of the trip lever L the yielding abutment 29 on the tender or other part of the train will strike the trip arm 28 and thus rock the lever to the full line position shown in Figure 1.

lVhen the trip lever is thus operated the flexible cable 22 will transmit movement to the arm 21 of the bell crank 13, which may be for example one-third of a mile aw: 1

and the bell crank lever will thus be rocked from the dotted line position in Figure 1 to the full line position thereby pushing upwardly on the rod or link 14 ane. tilting the carrier 3. Simultaneously with the rocking of the bell crank B the rocker shaft 18 will also move and cause the lever 11' to push the rod or link 15 upwardly and thus move the opposite carrier frame 11. ll hen the carrier 3 is tilted to the full line position shown in Figure 3 the gate G will automatically be shifted to the lower end of the carrier and rema n in position over the track-way until the tender or other part of-the train carrying the abutment 29 reaches the radial trip arm 28" on the rock shaft 18. Immediately upon reset as soon as the element which threw it into operation approaches the crossing and strikes the trip arm 28.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention contemplates a gate which may be automatically shifted into and out of operative position and which is entirely automatic in its action due to the spaced trip arms 28 and 28 which are successively engaged by part of the train to first throw the gate into operative position transverse of the crossing C, and when the train is on the crossing, to automatically reset the gate so that succeeding trains can again operate it.

lVithout further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course. be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A railway crossing gate of the class described, including a support arranged at one side of the crossing, a tiltable gate carrier pivotally mounted at its lIlGCllillPOl'tlOIl on the post and a shiftable sliding gate carried thereby, carrier actuating means in the track-way adjacent the crossing, a member connecting said actuating means with the carrier, and train operated means remote from the crossing for controlling said carrier actuating means.

2. A railway crossing gate of the class dcscrihed comprising a post arranged at one side of the crossing, a tiltable gate carrier consisting of a frame member pivotally supported at its medial portion to the post and a track bar, a gate supported by roller hinges on the track bar, carrier actuating means arranged in the track-Way adjacent the crossing, a rod connecting the carrier and said actuating means, and train operated means located remote from the crossing for controlling said carrier actuating means.

3. A railway crossing gate of the class described comprising a support arranged at one side of the crossing, a tiltable carrier pivotally mounted on the support, a sliding gate suspended from the carrier, and means for tilting the carrier, said means comprising a rod connected with the carrier, a bell crank connected With the rod, a shaft movable With the bell crank and extending across the track-Way, and counter-balancing means on the opposite side of the track-Way actuat ed by said shaft, and train operated means remote from the crossing for controlling said hell crank.

4. A railway crossing gate of the class described comprising a support arranged at one side of the crossing, a tiltable carrier pivotally mounted on the support, a sliding gate suspended from the carrier, and means for tilting the carrier, said means comprising a rod connecting With the carrier, a bell crank having one arm thereof connected with the rod, a shaft j ournaled transversely of the track-Way and carrying the bell crank, a radial trip arm carried by the shaft, a train operated trip lever mounted in the track-Way remote from the crossing, a flexllole connection between said trip lever and the other arm of the bell crank.

In testimony whereof I hereunto a-ifix my signature.

ROBERT C. BAIER. 

